Claire Jones is the official harpist to Prince Charles, and it is easy to see why. This album is, simply, royal and top class. Accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra (and a flutist for the last concerto), Jones brings a vitality and energy to the harp that put it on par with the violin or any more commonly composed-for solo instrument. The Glière concerto begins boldly and cleanly, with an immediate sense that there is no shy harpist here. The orchestra is lush (some might find it a bit schmaltzy), with mid-20th ...
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Claire Jones is the official harpist to Prince Charles, and it is easy to see why. This album is, simply, royal and top class. Accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra (and a flutist for the last concerto), Jones brings a vitality and energy to the harp that put it on par with the violin or any more commonly composed-for solo instrument. The Glière concerto begins boldly and cleanly, with an immediate sense that there is no shy harpist here. The orchestra is lush (some might find it a bit schmaltzy), with mid-20th century-sounding tonality along the lines of Rachmaninov or 1930s and '40s film scores. Jones plays the concerto in a way that is exciting to listen to, at times ethereal, at times dramatic. The second movement is considerably calmer, and when Jones plays in the high register it sounds rather like a guitar or lute. The orchestra is equally as pleasurable to listen to, and after the Giocoso movement, one wants to stand up and cheer. The Debussy Danses sound characteristically like Debussy,...
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